How to control 640 million light weapons?

Estimates put at 640 million the number of small arms and light weapons in circulation in the world. A large portion of these handguns, assault rifles and hand-held anti-aircraft missiles are in the hands of private individuals. Recent dramatic events having underscored the urgent need to take action, the IPU and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre) - both with headquarters in Geneva - have jointly published a handbook for parliamentarians on Missing pieces: A guide to reducing gun violence through parliamentary action. Ms. Mireille Widmer, Project Manager, Human Security and Small Arms, of the HD Centre, explains the intricacies of this problem. Interview.

Q: What role can parliamentarians play?
Ms. Mireille Widmer: We have always worked at the diplomatic level in the UN process on small arms control and although diplomats can and should adopt the major policy lines, it is MPs who can play an important role in implementing those policies in their respective countries. That concerns the transfer and collection of surplus arms as well as regulations on their use. Parliamentarians can therefore adopt laws to control guns in civilian hands and support campaigns to draw people's attention to matters related to the security services and other agencies responsible for maintaining public order, which do their job properly and thereby help reduce the demand for weapons in the country.

Q: Is it not difficult to legislate in countries where light weapons are in the hands of civilians who use them for self-defence?
M.W.: We respect the fact that consideration must be given to each country's circumstances. There can be no single, one-size-fits-all formula. Through this Handbook, we have endeavoured to illustrate the experiences of certain countries to control arms and show that those measures have been effective and have led to a fewer number of deaths by firearms and the consequent trauma they cause. The purpose of those measures is to save lives and enhance security for citizens. We have also listed a number of questions that MPs in every country must ask themselves before passing laws. We accept that there is, to some degree, a legitimate use for small weapons, but who has the right to own arms, what type of arms, how many can be kept in a home and in what manner they may be used are all issues that need to be clearly defined.

Q: How can laws be passed when the majority of movies and TV shows targeting teenagers project a culture of self-defence, force and the useof firearms?
M.W.: This is an interesting point that concerns the world of cinema, image and the gender problem. Up to now, each time the gender perspective crops up in relation to firearms, women and children are always portrayed as the victims of gun violence. The Handbook for parliamentarians shows that there is a very strong link between masculinity and firearms and we should take that into account.

Q: How can that be done?
M.W.: Mentalities change gradually. We should be aware of that and condemn the adverse effects that might cause. To achieve that, men and women have a major role to play. After all, women who find men with firearms more attractive are also part of the problem. Changing that image will be done gradually, as was done with smoking. We see fewer and fewer films where the hero constantly has a cigarette in his mouth because smoking has been stigmatized and efforts to make people aware of the dangers of smoking have been made. The same thing has to be done with arms, which constitute a public health hazard.

Q: The economic aspect is also important, because arms represent a very lucrative trade.
M.W.: The importance of the trade in light weapons has to be considered in relative terms. No doubt the trade in heavy weapons and weapons of war is very important, but the profits reaped from small arms are much more modest. The Small Arms Survey publishes an annual review that puts the significance of that trade into relative terms. Not every country in the world produces light weapons: the five permanent members of the Security Council together produce 88 per cent of all conventional weapons. The problems that arise in manufacturing countries also have to be tackled. The solution is not necessarily to ban weapons, but to exercise more effective control to avoid them ending up in the hands of persons who would abuse them. A campaign on arms transfers has been launched and Great Britain is playing a very constructive role in this regard. The weapons industry has backed that effort, which means that it has an interest in it, not to ban the use of firearms, but to try and limit the damage by putting safeguards in place. Therefore there is not necessarily any opposition between the light weapons industry and parliamentarians, who want to put common sense checks and balances in place.

	Film makers can help change image linking masculinity to firearms The IPU has recently published two Handbooks, one on violence against children (together with UNICEF), and the other on the control of small arms (jointly with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue). Actress Sarah Jones, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, noted that television and the Internet could raise awareness on violence against children and that Hollywood, which dictates the images that adults and children are seeing, has an important role to play in stopping a culture of violence. Ms. Mireille Widmer from the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre), added that film makers can help change the image linking masculinity to firearms.